OK, so the Browns are 1-1 in the exhibition season. Big
whoop.
Haven’t seen anything that’ll lead me to believe they can
improve much, if at all, on what they accomplished last season.
This is still a football team searching for an identity and
unless it can come up with something radically different in the regular season,
that search will continue.
This is a dull team, one that needs a spark or three. It is
humdrum on offense, somewhat methodical on defense and still prone to making
mistakes at inopportune times on special teams.
Granted, exhibition games are where the kinks are ironed
out. But when a team keeps making the same mistakes, one has to wonder if the
kinks will ever be ironed out.
After game 11 last season, for example, coach Romeo Crennel
said, “If you have to go back and re-teach and make up ground that you thought
you covered,” he said, “you're not making progress.” Game 11 for crying out
loud. Of the regular season.
That means messages still weren’t getting through at the
three-quarters pole. It was as though the coaching staff was being ignored.
Yeah, I know . . . that was then, this is now. It’ll be
different this year.
Not unless there’s an attitudinal change, a dramatic change
in focus. This team needs a personality. Sure, it’s better is some respects. But
unless it translates into victories (regular-season variety), that improvement
means nothing.
Saturday in Buffalo, we’ll get a much better idea of what
to expect in the regular season since the regulars will play about three
quarters. Here are some things I don’t want to see:
- Quarterback Charlie Frye scrambling on practically
every play because he (a) has trouble seeing his receivers or (b) isn’t
getting the protection he needs, especially from the left side of the
offensive line.
- Frye being careless with the ball. There was no reason
he should have been stripped of the ball in the exhibition victory over
Detroit
last week. He held on to the ball too long.
- Frye forcing passes into double and triple coverage.
He’ll get burned just about every time. He doesn’t have a strong enough arm
to drill the football among a group of defenders.
- Frye hamstrung at the line of scrimmage. The young man
must be given more freedom to change the play after looking over the
defense. If he’s so good, why not give him more responsibility?
- Careless and needless penalties by special teams, most
notably the punt return team. It has become almost automatic that yellow
laundry flies when the Browns return a punt. What in the world does special
teams coach Jerry Rosburg have to do to keep these guys clean? Tie their
hands to their sides?
- Wide receivers and tight ends run pass routes
horizontally. Open it up. Allow these guys to make plays to loosen opposing
defenses.
- Kellen Winslow Jr. blocking. Yeah, I know he’s a tight
end. But he’s a tight end who has the speed and athleticism to be a wide
receiver. Maximize those talents. Blow up cover 2 defenses. Let Steve Heiden
block.
- Three wideouts on first and goal at the 5. That’s what
happened in the first quarter against the Lions. To compound that, after a
timeout, the Browns went with an empty backfield at the same spot. That’s
just plain stupid. Whatever happened to smashmouth football? Element of
surprise? Nonsense. Sure, the Browns scored a touchdown when Frye hit Dennis Northcutt with his best pass of the night, but that’s not the point unless
you believe the end always justifies the means.
- More of William Green. He might be a good running
back, but he’s stagnating with the Browns. A change of scenery is what he
needs. He’s lost his confidence here.
I would like to see:
- Jerome Harrison run something besides the draw from scrimmage. Let’s see how well he
runs off tackle or on a counter. We now know he’s got nice hands and knows what
to do after catching the football. His greatest assets appear to be his quick
feet and change of pace. But let’s take it easy for the time being on
comparisons to Greg Pruitt, Eric Metcalf and Barry Sanders. It’s way too early
to elevate him to that status.
- D’Qwell Jackson work on his pass
defense because he’s got the other part of inside linebacker down pat. He’s a
hitter and not afraid to stick his nose into the action. Chaun Thompson will
have a tough time getting his job back and figures to be a situational pass
rusher.
- Defensive
coordinator Todd Grantham cook up more overload schemes to improve the pass
rush. Overloading the right side enabled Kamerion Wimbley to sack Detroit quarterback Jon Kitna in the second quarter. Confused the hell out of Lions offensive tackle
Jeff Backus.
-
Linebacker Andra Davis continue to show up behind the line of scrimmage. He
actually penetrated the Lions’ backfield on a few occasions and made plays. It’s
about time.
- A lot
more hurries out of opposing quarterbacks on passing downs. Sacks are nice, but
hurries are nicer. Making the quarterback throw before he wants more often than
not leads to interceptions at best, incompletions at worst. That’s a win-win
situation.
- More of
Ross Tucker at center. For someone who didn’t get a whole lot of practice for
the exhibition, the newcomer acquitted himself very well against Detroit. He was active, aggressive and did not
allow penetration by the middle of the Lions’ defensive line.
- Willie McGinest in a Browns uniform. If the big guy isn’t injured, why isn’t he
playing? Just how bad is his elbow?
- More of
Sean Jones and Brodney Pool at the twin safeties. If this is the future, then
why not hasten it by making it the present. Let them grow together.
- More of
rookie wide receiver Travis Wilson. Let’s see what the self-proclaimed best
receiver in the draft can do.